The Sauk Centre herald. (Sauk Centre, Stearns County, Minn.) 1886-current, 1887-03-17
nouel was making money.


heads, and said curse was entailed on the
property. 1t was believed, also, from her
appearance, that she could not long survive
this tax on her energies, and already there
was discussion as to the probable final dispo-
sition of her property.
1t was the peculiar fortune of Mr.. Jack
Ita,nlin TO be able TO set tho world right on
this and other questions regarding her. ,..
A stormy December evening had set in
when he CHANGED TO be guest at the Rock
vile hotel lie had, during the past week,
been engaged in the prosecution of his noble
profession at Red Dog, and had, in the
graphic language of a coadj utor, cleared out
the town, except his fare in the pockets of the
stage driver" The Red Dog Standard had
bewailed his departure in playful obituary
verse, beginning. dearest Johnny, thou
hast left US" wherein the rhymes "bereft u.s.
and "deplore" carried vague allusion to "a
thousand dollars more" A quiet content
ment naturally suffused his personality, and
be was more than usually lazy and deliberate
in his speech. At midnight, when he was
about to retire, he was little surprised,
however, by tap on his door, followed by
the presence of Mistress Peg Mofrat, heiress,
and landlady of Rockville hotel:
Mr.. Hamlin, despite his previous defense of
Peg, had no liking for her. His fastidious
taste rejected her uncomeliness; his habits of
thought and life were all antagonistic to
what he had heard of her niggar,iliness and
greed. As she stood there, in dirty calic.
E7appeE, still redalent with the days cuisine,
Eimson Hith embarrassment and the recent
esat of the kitchen range, she certainly was
not an alluring apparition. Happily for the
!aisness Of the hour, her loneliness anu the
!nfelix reputation of the man before her, she
was at least y safe one. And fear the very
Consciousness Il this scarcely relieved her
y.nbarrassmellg.. .,.' .'- 80
| VI wanted to cay a few words to we alone,
Nr. Hamlin," she begun, taking al unoffered
seat on the end OF his portmanteau, cor
shouldn't hev intruded. But it's the only
time can ketch you, or you moi for I'm
down in the kitchen from sunap till now"
She stopped awkWardly, as If to listen to the
wind, which was rattling the windows, and
spreading film of rain against the opaque
darkness without. Then, smoothing her
wrapper over her knees, she remarked, as if
opening desultory conversation:
"Thar's power of rain outside"
Mr., Hamlin's only response to this mete.
geological observation was a Yawn, and o pre-
urinary tug at his coat as he began to re.
! move it.
II thought We couldn't mind dom me q
favor" continued Peg, with hard, awk-
| ward laugh, 'partik1y seein' ez folks allowed
you'd sorter bin a friend o mine, and he'd
stood UP for me at times when You hednt
any partiller call to do it, ! hewitt she
continued, looking down on her lap, and
following with her finger and thumb seam
of her gown-"I hewitt SO many friends ez
sling3 kind word for me these times that
disremember them" Her under lip quivered
| up little here; and, after vainlY hunting
for a forgotten handkerchief, size finally
lifted the hem 1T her gown, wiped her snub
nose upon it, but left the tears still in her
eyes as she raised them to the man.
MIR. Hamlin, who had by this time Invested
himself Of bis coat, stopped unbuttoninS his
| waistcoat, and looked at her.
Like ez not thar'l be high water on the
North Fork, eff this rain keeps on" said Peg,
as it apolHgstIcslly, looking toward the win.
dow.
The other rain having ceased, Mr. Hamlin
began to unbutton bis waistcoat again.
al wanted to ask ye favor about Mr.
about--Jack Folinsbee,7 began Peg again
hurriedly. "Hes ailn' agin, and is mighty
low. And he's losin' a heap o money hero
and thar, and nasty to you. You cleaned
him out ot two thousand dollars last night
all he hail." -t..& .s.H -.
"WellF' said the gambler coldly.
"Well, thought ez you WOE a friend o.
mine, Id ask ye to let up little on him, +"
said Peg with an affected laugh, "You kin
it, Don't let him play with ye' 800
Mistress Margaret Moftot, said Jack with
lazy deliberation, taking off Ills watch and
beginning towind it up, 'ef you're that much
stuck after Jack Folinsbce; you kin keep him
off Of me much easier than kim. You're a
rich woman. Give him enough money to
break my bank, or break himself for good
and all; but don't keep him forlin' round me
Up hopes to make raise, 1t don't pay, Mis-
trcss Moffat--it don't payf' ~
= A finer nature than Pegs would have mis-
understood or resented the gamblers slang
and the miserable truths that underlaid it.
But she comprehended him instantly, and sat
hopelessly silent.
"Ef you'll take my advice, continued Jack,
placing his watch and chain under his pillow
and quietly unloosing his cravat, "you'll quit
this yer forlin', marry that chap and hand
over to him the money and the money maxim
that's KILN you. He'll get rid of it soon
enough. don't say this because expect to
git it; for when hes got that much of raise
he'll make break for Frisco, and lose it to
some 6rst-class sport there. don't say,
to reform him. don't say, neitber--and it's
derned sight more likelyl-that you nayn't
be luckier yet and he'll up and die afore he
gifts rid of your money. But l do say you'll
make him happy no,U; and, ez reckon
you're about ez badly stuck after that chap
% ! Cfcfr saw NpJ FSitiutil 5pu "D'i " po
hurtin' your own feelins ether
The blood left Pegs face as she looked up.
sBut that's phy can't give him the money
and he won't marry me without it." o.. r..
Mr.. Hamlin's hand dropped from the last
button Of his waistcoat. "Cant--give-him
the money! be repeated, slowly.
aNo.n
sWhyi"
@Because-because lore him.
Mr.. Hamlin rebuttoned his waistcoat and
sat down patiently ON the bed. Peg arose
and awkwardly drew the portmanteau o
little nearer to him. r.staf.
"When Jim Byways left me this yer
property" she began, looking cautiously
around, 'he left 1t to me ON conditions; not
conditions ez waz in his ,Urttten will, but
conditions ez waz spoken. A promise
made him in this very room, Mr.. Hanlln-
this very room, and ON that very bed you're
sittin' on, in which he died" t
Like most gamblers, MIR. Hamlin was super
stitious- He rose hastily fraR the bed and
took chair beside the window. The wind
shook it as if the discontented spirit of Mr..
Byways were without, reinforcing his last
injunction.
II don't knew il you remember him." said